Automatic thin place preventer



Oct. 10 1933. w. F. CLAYTON 1,930,001

AUTOMATIC THIN PLACE PREVENTER Filed July 20, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l @M/ y I W1;

Get. 10 1933.

w. F. CLAYTON 1,930,001

AUTOMATIC THIN PLACE PREVENTER Filed July 20. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J4 a o 3 J2 J: 29 33 47 f4 W/LL/AM F CLA YTO/V w wf m Oct. 10 1933. w. F. CLAYTON AU'I'OIATIC THIN PLACE PREVENTER Filed July 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l I \J a 30 I QV' I o 8 I J 4 E I o 7 37 r I I l 6 4: ac

MLL/AM F CLAYTON Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES 1,930,001 AUTOMATIC THIN PLACE PREVENTER William F.' Clayton, Huntsville, Ala., assignor of one-third to William E. James, Cullman, Ala.,

and one-third to Nephanus E.

mingham, Ala.

James, Bir- Application .luly 20, 1931. Serial No. 551,998

1 Claim.

This invention relates to auxiliary devices for looms adapted to detect thin spots in the weave where the weft or filling thread may have broken or given out and, through said detection to stop the loom and actuate the bobbin replenishing devices.

One of the objects of the invention is the pro vision of means actuated through the detection of a thin spot, for supplementing the functioning of the filling fork which normally activates the replenishing mechanism of the loom, when through some abnormal condition, the filling fork continues'in its normal position, notwithstanding that the weft or filling thread has broken or run out.

Qtherobjects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof proceeds,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a loom in cooperative association with the mechanism' of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mechanism of the present invention abstracted from what is old and well known in loom mechanism;

Figure 3 is a crosssection showing-that part of the invention and the loom mechanism on the side remote from the detector finger;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the brass in the snake head and pawl 28 engaged, only for a change to be made in the filling after a thin place occurs in the cloth;

Figure 5 is a side View mostly in elevation showing the. parts in the position assumed when "the detector arm has fallen through a thin spot;

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the position of the parts whenthe detector arm is, on top of the cloth;

Figure 7 is a side view of the rocker arm;

Figure 8 is a detail View partly in section illus-' trating the'limited relative movement between the rocker arm shown in Figure 7 and the shaft on which it is mounted;

Figure 9 isa view taken along the line 99 of Figure 8; v r

Figure 10 is a side elevation partly in section showing the detector arm construction; and

Figure 11 is a detail view partly in section taken along the line 11-11 of FigurelO.

Before adverting to a detailed description of the device of the invention, certain conventional loom structures will be referred to, in cooperation with which by way of example, the present invention functions.

In Figure 4 is shown the oscillating snake head no attempt made by the machine to replenish 1 1 and the filling fork 29 pivotally mounted as at 31 at the rearward end of the slide 20'.

Normally the slide 20 occupies an inactive position toward the rearward part of the loom with the fork restingagainst the weft or filling thread and being thus retained with its tines 29 in a substantially vertical position, while the loop 30 at the upper end of the fork is held above the upper end or brass in the snake head 27. In the normal operation of the loom, when the bobbin runs out or the weft or filling thread breaks, the fork having its tines no longer restrained by the thread, swings by gravity or perhaps by a light spring so as to depress the loop 30 into the path of the brass in the snake head 27, so that the latter by virtue of its shoulder 26, engages the loop 30 and by this means pulls the fork and with it the slide 20, to which it is pivoted.

The slide 20 in moving forwardly operates a bobbin replenishing means, (not shown), through connections 55 and 56, so that the weaving ordinarily proceeds without any thin spot being formed. The slide 20 is, therefore, frequently referred to in the present specification as replenishing mechanism, since it is not considered necessary nor desirable to complicate the disclosure by showing what is old in loom structure.

It sometimes happens, however, that because of a bent tine, a bunch of lint collecting behind the filling fork, or'for other causes, the fork may remain'in its normal position with the loop out of reach of the brassinthe snake head as though the weft or filling thread were being paid out. Under this condition, there would, of course, be

the weft or filling, and consequently, a thin spot composed of nothing but warp threads is formed in the goods. It is for the purpose of detecting this thin spot and so controllingrthe loom accordingly, for the re-working of the thin spot jthat the present invention is designed.

Ihe thin spot detector comprises a pawl 28, pivotally mounted on the slide 20 and affording means for moving said slide when said pawl is actuated. Saidjpawlis adapted to take the place of the loop 3 0 as an engaging means with the shoulder 26 of the brass in the snake head for causing the movement of the slide through which the bobbin is replenished;

The .pawl 28 is "depressed into active position by means. responsive directly tothe condition of the cloth at the thin spot, and which means also permits the let back movement of the cloth for a distance corresponding to the number of picks missed in the formationof the thinspot, so that 0 normally supported by the finger the thin spot is filled uniformly with the rest of the cloth by the weft or filling from the fresh bobbin.

Referring particularly to Figure 2, it will be seen that there is a rock shaft 33, suitably secured to a stationary part of the loom as for instance by clips 47. Said rock shaft has rocker arms adjacent its opposite ends, one of which includes the detector arm 34, the opposite rocker arm 39 passing freely through an eye 22 formed.

in the pawl 28, so that in the normal replenishing movements of the slide underthe urge of the loop of the filling fork, there is freedom of relative movement between the pawl and the arm 39. Normally, of course, the resilient finger piece of the detector arm 34 rests upon the cloth and maintains the rock shaft 33 in such position that the rocker arm 39 holds the pawl 28 up in inactive position with respect to the oscillating snake head.

It will be seen from Figures 10 and 11 that the detector arm is connected to the rock shaft 33 by pivoted articulation comprising a lever 61 fixed to the rock shaft and a socket member 62 pivoted thereto at 63 and receiving the detector arm 34. The members 61 and 62 are biased by .a spring 64 which contributes to the support of the detector arm while it is upheld by the cloth, while the socket member 62 has a shoulder 64 acting as a limit stop to limit the range of descent of the detector arm so that the finger piece 35 may not fall too far beneath the surface of the cloth upon reaching the thin spot.

The detector arm consists of a rod 34 having pivotally mountedon one end a detector finger 35 which is resiliently held in a normal angular relation to rod .34 by a spring 36 positioned between a collar 37 fixed to rod 34 as by screw 38 and a collar 3'7 slidable on rod 34 and engaging finger 35. Rod 34 is secured in socket member 62.

A second rock shaft 1 is also provided having a rocker arm 2 at one end, the same constituting a lifter for the detector arm during a certain phase of the operation of the thin spot detector, as will appear.

For this purpose, the rocker arm 2 is provided with an angular end 6 which underlies the detector arm and is adapted to engage and lift the latter when the rock shaft 1 is operated. The rocker arm 2 normally rests upon the cloth out of engagement with the detector arm, which is V 35 as is well understood.

The opposite end of the rock shaft 1 is provided with a rocker arm '7, which by means of a link 8, is connected to a lifting means for raising the detector finger out of the cloth immediately upon its having dropped into a thin spot. This lifting mechanism comprises a slide bar 9 having a notch 12 forming a shoulder, said notch cooperating with a latch 17 pivotally carried by the pawl 28 and supported by an angular lug 32 which acts to limit the range of movement of said latch'in a downward direction.

When the detector finger 35 has fallen into a thin spot it oscillates the rock shaft 33, rocking the rocker arm 39 downward, thereby depressing the pawl 28 into engagement with the shoulder 26 on the brass in the snake head. This causes the slide to which the pawl 28 is connect- I ed, and the pawl itself to move forwardly, and

28 move forward the latch 17 will cause the for ward movement of the slide bar 9, rocking the arm 7, oscillating the rock shaft 1, and thereby lifting first the arm 3 to which is attached the pallet 52 and at the same time causing the bobbin replenishing mechanism to put in a new bobbin, and also taking up the lost motion in the sleeve 59 on rock shaft 1. This lost motion of sleeve 59 is provided for by the structure illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 from which it will be noted that the sleeve extension 59 of lever 2, is rotatably mounted on shaft 1 being secured against axial movement thereon by bolt 4 which engages an annular groove 4 in said shaft 1. Sleeve 59 has anoffset lug 58 extending parallel with shaft 1 adapted to engage a pin 2 projecting from said shaft. Pawl 28 is still engaged with the shoulder 26 on the brass in the snake head and remains there until the second change in the bobbin, while latch 17 moves backwardly over into the shoulder 13. Then the slide 20 and pawl 28 again move forwardly causing the bobbin replenishing mechanism to put in a second bobbin to better insure a new filling and that and the pawl 28 and causes the second forward.

movement of the slide bar 9 rocking the arm '7, oscillating the rock shaft 1 the second time and thereby liftingthe rock arm 2; which now has no lost motion because the same is taken up by pallet 52 standing perpendicularly on the cloth and thus holding the slide bar 9 partly forwardly so that the latch 17 will slip backwardly and over beyond the shoulder 13, all of which is permitted by the lost motion mechanical construction of sleeve 59 of arm 2, so that the latter engages the detector mechanism andlifts the finger out of the cloth and at the same time lifts pawl 28 and latch 17 by means of rock shaft 33, to which is attached arm 34, and thereby rocks the rock shaft 33 which extends'through direction, and lifts the pawl 23 out of engagement with the brass in the snake head so that it will be understood that the falling of the detector finger through the cloth ismerely for an instant and that it is immediately and positively lifted, so that it may not be entrapped by the.

newly supplied filling. In the meantime, however, the slide has done its duty in supplying new filling to the loom.

The means for letting back the cloth so that first missed pick is well understood and not shown in the present drawings; being typical of known loom mechanism in which a thin spot detector is employed.

the new weft or filling thread can take up thev It is sufficient to state that this means oper-,v

ates responsively to the activation of the pawl 28, and the operation of the let-back mechanism permits a retrogressive movement of the cloth due to the tension of the warp threads.

Figures 1' and 2 show that the rock shaft 1- is provided with pivotally mounted supporting pallets 51 and 52, carried by blocks 53 and 54, the first mentioned being slidably adjustable on a rocker arm 3, while the block 54 isadjustable in a similar manner, preferably on the rocker arm 2, and a lug 81 is attached to rocker arm 2 by means of a bolt or other fixing means, so that the lug can be adjusted to establish a limit to the backward movement of pallet 51 and by this means feeler finger 35 can be accuretely adjusted not to go too far through the cloth, when a thin place occurs, for the successful and practical operation of this device on the loom.

It will be understood that when the lifting means constituted by the latch 17 and slide bar 9 is actuated, the detector mechanism is supported solely by the rocker arm 2. On the second change in the bobbin, the pallet 52 is raised with arm 3 high in the air away from the cloth and at the same time the pallet 51 is raised so as to stand perpendicularly on the cloth thusholding arm 2 and with it arm 34 and feeler finger 35 above cloth. The gradual weaving and movement of the cloth forwardly over the sand roll of the loom, lets pallet 51 and such arm 2 back down on the cloth and with them arm 34 and the feeler finger 35 down on the newly woven cloth and in the proper position to detect any other thin place that may occur. Also, as a consequence, the pallet 52and arm 3 to which it is attached-gradually comes back down and the forward movement of the cloth gradually lets the pallet 52 also trail against the cloth until another thin place occurs in the cloth.

It is understood, of course, that the lifting function of the rocker arm 2 is momentary only in its duration, since as soon as the detector mechanism has been raised, the lifting means is re-- leased by the elevation of the latch 17 and pawl 28, and that the rocker arm 2 is no longer sustained by said lifting means. However, the retrogressive movement of the cloth has been taking place in the meantime, so that the pallets 51 and 52 which, in the initial lifting movement have not been burdened with the load of the detector mechanism or its appurtenant elements are moved to a substantially perpendicular position, through their frictional engagement to the cloth so that now they become the sole sustaining means for the rocker arm 2, and finally, when the missed picks have been filled and the cloth changes its direction of movement, the pallets 51 and 52 are drawn out into an inclined position in which they release their support of the detector mechanism letting the detector finger 35 down on the newly woven cloth.

It thus appears that while a lifting means is sudden and instantaneous, the lowering of the detector finger is done gradually and'by stages to allow time for the thin spot to be filled.

Since the thin spot detector is designed as an attachment to looms of types now existent a certain tolerance is provided in the range of movement of the latch 1'? relative to the slide bar. The latch is constructed to descend as far as is ever necessary in order to engage the shoulder on the slide bar. If, however, the slide bar should be mounted at'a less distance from the latch, the pivotal connection between the latch and the pawl 28 permits the latch to come to a stop when it will, regardless of the further depression of the pawl 28.

While I have in the above description defined what I believe a practical and preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the details of construction as illustrated and described are merely by way of example, and not to be considered as having a limitative bearing upon the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In loom mechanism, a detector finger operating by resting on the woven fabric feeding from the loom and falling through a thin spot where the weft thread has failed to cross, in combination with bobbin replenishing mechanism for causing the. renewing of the weft thread responsive to the falling through of said finger, and lifting means for said finger comprising a shaft, an arm journalled with limited angular lost motion on said shaft having, a portion thereof underlying said finger,.and means movable with said bobbin replenishing mechanism and engageable with means connected with said shaft, for returning said shaft by stages corresponding respectively to successive bobbin replenishing operations, to normal position, in the first stage taking up the lost motion and in the next stage lifting said finger with a pallet pivoted on said detector finger lifting means normally fabric supported for sup-' portingsaid detector finger and associated parts, and an adjustable stop for determining the inclination of said pallet thereby determining the elevation of said lifting means and the distance to which said detector finger may fall beneath the fabric.

WILLIAM F. CLAYTON. 

